"Selene-senpai, stop!"
"Senpai, please stop!"
"Hmm?" Hearing the shout, Selene paused her actions and looked in the direction of the voice.
Not far away, it was Shirai Kuroko and her two friends who had returned. They stood near the broken section of the overpass, waving and shouting for Selene to stop.
"Give me a reason."
"The [Level Upper] is connected via a network." Hearing this, it was Kiyama Harumi who stepped forward first, her expression complicated, and she slowly began to speak. "Its composition includes part of the AIM fields and subconscious of the [Level Upper] users."
"In other words, those using the [Level Upper] are closely linked to it. I've studied your ability, and your Spatial Annihilation can completely destroy matter on a microscopic level. If you destroy it this way, the connected users will lose all consciousness and mental capacity, and in severe cases, they might become vegetative."
"This is not alarmist talk!"
"..." Hearing Kiyama Harumi's reminder, Selene immediately snapped out of her "fight mode" state and shook her head, realizing that she almost acted rashly.
Thinking this, Selene dissipated the virtual energy blast gathering at her fingertips and slowly floated down in front of Kiyama Harumi, asking, "Tell me, you started this; how do we solve it perfectly?"
Staring into Selene's complex crimson pupils for a while, Kiyama Harumi replied with a complicated expression, "By cutting the network, it might not stop it completely, but it can release the connected users' mental capacity... However, I have already lost control over the Level Upper network. Only one thing should still be effective."
At this point, Kiyama Harumi turned her head to look at Uiharu Kazari, "And that thing is in your hands."
"Ah? Is it that... the USB with the [Level Upper] treatment program?" Seeing everyone's eyes on her, Uiharu Kazari uncertainly took out the treatment program in her hand.
"Yes, that's it. It's worth a try," Kiyama Harumi said, giving Selene a meaningful glance. "But how to spread it effectively is up to you."
"Okay, let's get started." With that, Selene snapped her fingers, and everyone present, including Shirai Kuroko, was instantly teleported to the security personnel.
On the other side, seeing Selene and the others suddenly appear, especially Kiyama Harumi, the security personnel became immediately alert.
"Wait, she's already been captured. That monster below is a result of her loss of control, not something she is controlling..." It seems the security team was really scared by Kiyama Harumi, being so sensitive. Selene thought as she explained the situation.
"This audio file is the [Level Upper] treatment program?" Yomikawa Aiho, who was bandaging her wounds on the security vehicle, asked with a hint of disbelief.
"Yes," Selene replied coolly, looking at Yomikawa Aiho. "According to Kiyama Harumi, this is the only remaining treatment program for [Level Upper]."
"But," Yomikawa Aiho hesitated slightly, looking at Selene and then at Kiyama Harumi not far away, "she's a criminal, the mastermind behind the [Level Upper] incident. Can we trust her?"
"I trust Professor Kiyama!" Uiharu Kazari declared, looking at the USB in her hand with determination. "This is something Professor Kiyama gave me earlier. I'm willing to vouch for her!"
"Aren't you the girl who was kidnapped by Kiyama Harumi?" Although tempted, Yomikawa Aiho was still puzzled, "Why do you trust her so much..."
"I trust Uiharu!" Suddenly, Shirai Kuroko, who had been silent, interjected. "I vouch for her in my capacity as a disciplinary committee member."
"..."
"Alright, stop hesitating, let's hurry... Should we broadcast this audio throughout Academy City?" Hearing their endless chatter, Selene was a bit annoyed and urged, "I, Selene von Habsburg, order you to execute this immediately!"
"If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility. If Kiyama Harumi dares to deceive me, I will personally see that she's disposed of in Tokyo Bay!"
"Yes!" Hearing Selene's assurance, Yomikawa Aiho nodded immediately, knowing her identity as a Board of Directors member from her self-introduction.
Then, she quickly picked up the radio equipment in the security vehicle. "Time is of the essence. By order of Director Habsburg, broadcast this audio file throughout Academy City immediately."
After speaking, Yomikawa Aiho turned to Uiharu Kazari and asked, "Is it done?"
"Transmission complete!" Uiharu Kazari lifted her head sharply, looking at the computer's confirmation message.
"Broadcast it immediately!" Hearing this, Yomikawa Aiho shouted into the phone.
Soon, a strange music played over Academy City. Although surprised that the treatment program was an audio file, remembering that even the [Level Upper] was an audio file, it wasn't so strange. Kiyama Harumi is a genius of a certain kind, after all.
At the same time, in hospitals treating patients who had fallen into comas due to [Level Upper] usage, patients who had been struggling in nightmares remarkably calmed down upon hearing the strange music.
"What's happening here?" A chief physician expressed joy at seeing the patients calm down simultaneously. Though confused, the situation was undoubtedly improving.
In an office within a university hospital building, an elderly man with a frog-like face watched the improved situation on the monitors and sighed in relief. You've succeeded.
"It's time to end this..." After hearing the strange audio, Selene reopened her eyes, turned to Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari, and said, "I'll be right back."
With that, Selene reappeared above the "Imaginary Honkai Beast," which was still in a dying state, with even its external armor failing, revealing its deformed infant core.
Evidently, Selene's previous attack had severely damaged it.
According to Kiyama Harumi's instructions, since she couldn't use the virtual energy attack, she opted for lightning. Under Selene's control, a massive surge of blue and white lightning crazily flowed towards the "Imaginary Honkai Beast," striking it amidst its pitiful howls.
Sizzle...
Under the intense high-temperature current, the "Abyssal Beast's" entire body began to dissolve and collapse, gradually revealing a slightly murky dark red prismatic core.
So, this is the "core" of the [Level Upper].
Hearing the "static" noise in her ears, Selene, feeling slightly irritated, extended her right hand to draw the prismatic core to her.
After gazing at the dark red prismatic core in her hand for a moment, Selene lost interest and shook her head, "Is that all?"
With a flick of her wrist, accompanied by a soft crack, the crystal shattered, slipping through Selene's fingers, turning into light particles, and vanishing into the air, "And with that, the game is over."
"In your eyes, was all of this just a game?!"